A variety of programs exist for visualizing, creating and communicating complex information over a display screen (e.g., computer screen) or on a hardcopy document. At least some of these programs allow a user to create or manipulate a wide variety of diagrams that may communicate information about, but not limited to, organizational hierarchy, resources, processes, networks, workflows, database systems, calendars, floor plans, maps and building sites. By way of example, Office Visio® produced by the Microsoft Corporation allows users to create or otherwise acquire templates, which may be operated on using stencils.
Stencils are generally defined as a collection of masters associated with a particular Microsoft Visio® drawing type or template. A master is generally defined as a shape on a stencil that one uses repeatedly to create drawings. For example, when one moves a shape from a stencil onto the drawing page, the shape becomes an instance of that master. Stencils are generally defined as any object used to represent information in a graphical form. In most cases, stencils include shapes for creating the complex information, such as, but not limited to, flow chart boxes, callout balloons, organizational chart blocks, and more complicated two and three-dimensional shapes.
Independent from the programs discussed above, conventional digital paper systems, which include a digital writing surface and a digital pen device, have become popular for producing text and fill-in type forms. The digital pen device knows its location in real time on the digital writing surface, which may include a visible or non-visible digital pattern. The writing surface may take the form of a digital tablet or digital paper, for example digital paper made by the Anoto Group AB and having an ANOTO® pattern. Various types of conventional digital pen devices include, but are not limited to, the MAXELL® digital pen, the NOKIA® digital pen, the LEAPFROG FLYFUSION® digital pen, the ANOTO® digital pen, and the LOGITECH® digital pen. Besides knowledge of placement location, some digital paper systems also maintain records of information like pressure or time as well as various “state” values such as color or width.